In the Milgram experiment, two out of three civilians shocked other people that they thought were actually being shocked. When you're in this social situation, there's just no easy way to break from the script. And so it does surprise me a little bit that a given person, but especially you, would have such a hard time doing this. But I hear you and I believe you.
Are those travelers on their laptops just showing off? Why does V8 taste better at 35,000 feet? And why won't Angela chat with her seatmate?